Justin Hammers, Chief of Operations at IDOC | Illinois Department of Corrections oficial website
Justin Hammers, Chief of Operations at IDOC | Illinois Department of Corrections oficial website
The data shows that all of the released offenders among the parolees were men. Of the parolees sentenced for crimes against persons, one was a veteran, and the median age was 41. The youngest parolee was a 35-year-old man sentenced in 2021, and the oldest was a 46-year-old man sentenced in 2022.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was Pedro Hernandez. He was convicted in 2022 when he was 35 years old. He is now 37.
Commonly referred to as parole in Illinois, Mandatory Supervised Release (MSR) is a post-prison supervision period, in which individuals must follow specific rules like check-ins with parole officers; violations can lead to re-incarceration. Unlike parole, MSR is automatically required for all individuals released after serving a prison sentence.
In 2023, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill to reform Illinois’ Mandatory Supervised Release program. The law aims to reduce recidivism and reportedly create a more effective and equitable supervision system by incentivizing education, streamlining the review process, and expanding virtual check-ins.
“Our current supervision system too often operates unfairly, with rules that make it simply a revolving door back to jail,” Pritzker said at a bill signing ceremony in Chicago. “In fact, more than 25% of people who are released from prison in Illinois end up back behind bars, not because they’re recidivists, but instead for a noncriminal technical violation.”
A 2018 report from the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council indicated that 43% of released prisoners in Illinois return to prison within three years, costing taxpayers an estimated $152,000 per recidivism event.
| County | Total Number of Parolees | % Women | % Men | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 175 | 6.9% | 93.1% | 35 |
| Macon County | 25 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| St. Clair County | 20 | 5% | 95% | 37.5 |
| Winnebago County | 17 | 5.9% | 94.1% | 38 |
| Peoria County | 15 | 13.3% | 86.7% | 35 |
| Will County | 14 | 0% | 100% | 35 |
| Lake County | 13 | 0% | 100% | 33 |
| Kankakee County | 12 | 8.3% | 91.7% | 30 |
| Kane County | 12 | 16.7% | 83.3% | 32.5 |
| Madison County | 11 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Adams County | 10 | 0% | 100% | 35.5 |
| Champaign County | 8 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Sangamon County | 7 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Vermilion County | 6 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 41 |
| DeKalb County | 6 | 16.7% | 83.3% | 45 |
| McLean County | 5 | 20% | 80% | 29 |
| DuPage County | 5 | 20% | 80% | 37 |
| McHenry County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| Jefferson County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 34 |
| Kendall County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Rock Island County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Logan County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| Franklin County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Grundy County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Jackson County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 54 |
| Massac County | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 36 |
| Knox County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Livingston County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 35 |
| Woodford County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 34.5 |
| Whiteside County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 43.5 |
| Saline County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 27 |
| Randolph County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| Marion County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 45.5 |
| McDonough County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 38.5 |
| Pike County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 30 |
| Perry County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| DeWitt County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 36.5 |
| Coles County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| Christian County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 32.5 |
| Greene County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 47 |
| Jersey County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 46.5 |
| Jo Daviess County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| Bond County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| Lasalle County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 45 |
| Alexander County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 50 |
| Williamson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 34 |
| Bureau County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 32 |
| Calhoun County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 28 |
| White County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 57 |
| Tazewell County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 29 |
| Stephenson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Clark County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Shelby County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 29 |
| Clinton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 24 |
| Crawford County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| Richland County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 28 |
| Putnam County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| Douglas County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 29 |
| Piatt County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| Edgar County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Effingham County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 48 |
| Ogle County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 43 |
| Morgan County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 35 |
| Montgomery County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 32 |
| Monroe County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 25 |
| Fayette County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 51 |
| Hamilton County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 41 |
| Jasper County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 50 |
| Mason County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| Johnson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Lawrence County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 43 |
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